The Unexpected Blessing of Four-Year-Old Faith

The most inspiring thing, in a caregiver’s journey, is faith.  And when that faith comes straight from the four-year-old patient, it brings incalculable blessing.

My four-year-old sat on my lap in the quiet office.  Two pastors flanked my husband and myself as they readied for the anointing.  I’d never attended a special ceremony of blessing and healing like this before and it felt odd to be experiencing it for our family.  But our whole world was surreal and the number of people praying for us was humbling and inspiring.

The most inspiring thing, in a caregiver’s journey, could be the faith of the patient. #inspirememonday #caregiver via@caregivermom Click To Tweet

We were in the offices after hours, because Andrew’s blood counts did not permit germ exposure.  Pastor L leaned forward as he pulled out his Bible.  He opened to Ecclesiastes 3 and explained he had chosen a passage to read.  Andrew settled into my lap a little more.

We had explained that this was a special prayer session for Andrew’s healing and for God to draw close to us.  He fussed, but it felt like a token fussing because he didn’t feel good.  Then he seemed anxious to go.  We had chosen this evening because the next day was the first step forward in Andrew’s treatment plan.  We were to find out if the rough month of chemotherapy had done any good at all, or if we had to go other directions.  Was Andrew’s body fighting the cancer, or succumbing?

Pastor L explained to Andrew that while he might not understand everything we were going to read from the Bible, he hoped Andrew could understand that we were asking God’s presence into his life.  Andrew nodded vigorously.  Pastor L read:  “There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

            a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
            a time to kill…”

Pastor L looked up to finish the line, and my four-year-old, who to my knowledge had never heard this passage before, whispered along with the Pastor, “…and a time to heal.”

The office was silent.  Four adults sat in wonder that a child could provide those words of comfort given to us by God in the Bible, and now by a four-year-old, bald and sick with cancer.

There is indeed a time for everything and the battle against my son’s leukemia taught me that life certainly does not go as planned.  This year has been odd for me.  I’ve lost my father to Alzheimer’s Disease and my husband’s grandma passed away a week after my dad.  Many past students of mine have given birth to darling babies this year and I rejoice in their new little families.  My oldest hasn’t been home for months because she is volunteering at an orphanage in central America – planting seeds for His kingdom.  Life goes on, doesn’t it?  It brings joy and sorrow, death and birth – a time for everything.

We’re coming to the end of 2015.  It’s been a year of everything under the sun.  God has each moment planned and I have learned, through all the seasons I’ve been through, that I can trust God with my journey.  That each “season” we’re going through will pass and when we look back, we will be able to see God’s blessings in our lives.

How has YOUR season of 2015 been!  Any particular time you can see God leading in your year, in your family, in your life?

Inspire Me Monday Instructions

What’s your inspirational story? Link up below, and don’t forget the 1-2-3s of building community:

1. Link up your most inspirational post from this YEAR (2015)

2. Vist TWO other contributors (especially the person who linked up right before you) and leave an encouraging comment.

3. Spread the cheer THREE ways! Tweet something from a post you read, share a post on your Facebook page, stumble upon it, pin it or whatever social media outlet you prefer—just do it!

Please link back to this week’s post or add the button to your post so that we can spread the inspirational cheer :).

I found inspiration for my Monday at #inspirememondays. Join us! (tweet this)

So, go ahead! Take the plunge and share your most inspiring post with us!